


Sleepless

by GooberFeesh



Category: Ghost - Mystery Skulls (Music Video), Mystery Skulls (Band), Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Arthur breaks down a lot, F/M, Flashbacks, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-06-02 19:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6579622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GooberFeesh/pseuds/GooberFeesh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur can't sleep. Between the nightmares and his obsessive quest to find Lewis, the poor guy is experiencing the roughest time of his life. As events start to unfold, and a familiar skeletal face surfaces from the not-too-distant past, new challenges arise that really test Arthur's limitations. Set directly after the events of Freaking Out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Out of It

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello! As I stated on my tumblr, I'm not sure where exactly this is going and how long it's going to be, but I never slam the door shut when inspirations knocks. I own nothing and no one.

In truth, Vivi had probably been calling his name long before he’d heard it, yet it was only when Arthur’s nose was practically _in_ his pile of syrupy pancakes that he snapped upright with a startled yelp. His eyes, which had widened considerably, glanced at the bluenette that sat across from him; he met her concerned gaze with a sheepish one.

“Sorry, I uh—I zoned out for a sec,” the exhausted mechanic admitted. He felt oddly on the spot since Vivi’s focus hadn’t shifted away from him, and it urged his fleshier hand to pass over the back of his neck awkwardly. “What were you saying?”

Vivi scooped up the little white packets of sweetener she’d formed into the shape of a ghost along the table and began filing them back into the sugar caddy one by one. “I was _saying_ that I’m worried about you,” she repeated. Her plate of scrambled eggs and bacon had long since been cleaned - unlike Arthur’s, that was still full of uneaten food. He’d barely touched anything.

Arthur readjusted along the lumpy cushioning of the booth and stretched his legs out. He was forced to recall his feet, though, when they accidentally bumped into Mystery, who was laying beneath the table; it was late enough that the diner’s overnight employees hadn’t batted an eyelash at them bringing their canine companion inside, so long as he stayed out of sight and mind.

“You don’t have to be worried, Vivi,” he tried to reassure her, even if he knew everything about his worn features and slouched posture would give anyone reason to worry. “I’m totally fine.”

Again, Arthur wasn’t blind or oblivious: He was well aware that he looked like a complete and utter nervous wreck. Sleep had become a foreign concept to him rather than an absolute biological necessity. He rarely got any more than two hours on a good night, and maybe fifteen minutes on a bad one - _if_ he was lucky. Because hey, if it wasn’t horrific nightmares, it was his crippling anxiety. If it wasn’t his crippling anxiety, it was his ongoing and extensive quest to find the missing member of their team.

Not that he could tell Vivi that part, mind. It was a pointless venture considering she didn’t…well, it just wasn’t a good idea. End of story.

Highly unconvinced of Arthur’s “fineness”, Vivi folded her arms and propped them along the tabletop. Her legs swung to-and-fro absently. “Soooomething’s on your mind,” she drawled out, prior to shelving her chin on her stacked wrists. “And whatever it is, it’s not letting you sleep.”

Far too many times had Vivi woken during their overnight campouts in the van to find Arthur still awake and mulling over something on his laptop. At first he’d told her that it was a new RPG he’d downloaded, but when she’d asked to watch or try it out herself he’d snapped his laptop shut with all the strength and swiftness of an alligator’s jaw. She had hoped to get in contact with Arthur’s uncle to see if he knew what the deal was, but between their constant travels and spooky adventures there was hardly any time for reaching out to anyone, let alone Uncle Lance.

Arthur’s knee began to nervously bounce as he tried to come up with an answer; he squeezed his pesky patella in a desperate attempt to halt the anxious fidgeting, but it didn’t work. If anything, it only encouraged it to bounce faster. Hoo'boy, an escape rope suuuuure would have been nice right about then.

“I guess I’m just a little… _distracted_?” the ultra lame response finally tumbled past his lips. He shrugged for added ‘nonchalant’ emphasis and then reached for his chocolate milk, which also remained untouched. He took what he hoped was a casual sip and then spoke again once he resurfaced from his orange bendy straw. “It’s nothing serious, Vi. I’m sure I’ll get back on track soon enough.”

_After I find Lewis_ , he finished within the private confines of his mind.

A waitress came by to clear Vivi’s plate and, noticing that Arthur’s meal remained uneaten, asked: “Do you need a box, sweetie?”

Arthur opened his mouth to decline the offer, because chances were he wasn’t going to eat those pancakes now or later, but before he could say anything Vivi beat him to the punch: “He abso-fruit-ly _does_ need a box! We’ll also take the check, pretty please.”

As the young woman headed away from the table, Vivi began scavenging around in the pocket of her skirt for the wrinkled twenty she knew was squirreled in there. She retracted a palmful of stale Skittles (so _that’s_ where those sneaky little fellas went), a ripped gas station receipt, a nickel, aaand nothing beyond that. Boo. She went to check her other pocket when Arthur stopped her in the process.

“Hey, I’ve got it. It’s my turn to pay anyway,” he stated, collecting his wallet from his tangerine jeans.

The waitress returned with a box and the check, and once Arthur handed the payment and told her to keep the change, she wished them both a good night and walked off. Vivi took it upon herself to flop the sticky pancakes into the box while Arthur watched on in a foggy daze; there was an achy soreness blooming somewhere in the back of his throat, which led him to believe that he might have been coming down with something. 

Greaaat. As if he weren’t already dealing with enough issues.

“There we go~ All done,” Vivi cheerfully chirped a few seconds later. She slid the box over to Arthur with a smile. “You can have these for breakfast tomorrow—I mean, today.” Since it was teeeechnically tomorrow already (if 2am said anything). “Us paranormal investigators gotta keep up our strength.”

Arthur managed a nod while biting back the tempting yawn that was trying to climb out of his mouth. Vivi had a point. Their career all too often demanded several hours of research and extended periods of driving - plus, you know, running the **HELL** away from scary monsters - so the last thing either of them needed was to crash and burn.

He’d sleep eventually, Arthur told himself, gathering his boxed food as he and Vivi slid out of the booth. They started to make their way towards the front door when something became very clear to them. In sync, the two friends slowly turned around to see that the furriest member of their group wasn’t trotting behind them. In fact, he hadn’t even left his spot from beneath the table.

Sporting a bewildered expression, Vivi returned to their previous seat and bent at the waist to see why their team mascot had stayed behind. “Hey. Are you coming?”

Mystery looked hesitant - even as his owner kindly beckoned him to come out - but he eventually removed himself to take his place at Vivi’s side. He seemed to shrink into her as they walked back to where Arthur stood, his eyes shifting cautiously and his erect ears flickering at every sound they picked up.

“Is he okay?” Arthur asked, once all three of them were together.

“I don’t know,” Vivi replied honestly. She sifted her small fingers through Mystery’s fluffy mane and frowned when he didn’t lean into the affectionate like he usually did. Nope. He remained just as stiff and on edge as before. “He’s acting kinda funny. You okay, dude?”

“Maybe he ate something that didn’t agree—”

Arthur’s suggestion was suddenly, and VERY loudly, interrupted by the sound of the diner’s door bursting open. It was more than enough to coax him into cowering behind Vivi, who was now openly staring at the abrupt commotion along with everyone that inhabited the mom-and-pop establishment.

A man had clambered inside, looking scared out of his mind. He was babbling far too quickly and incoherently, but it was clear that something had scared the living daylights out of him. What looked like the manager of the diner came out from the back to assist him, but it didn’t seem to be going very well at all.

“Sir, _please_ ,” the older woman said, trying to ease his hysterics. “I need you to calm down.”

“Calm down?!” the terrified man exclaimed. He practically launched himself at the manager while throwing his arms in the air in a blatant display of clear outrage. “MY DOGGONE TRUCK WAS JUST STOLEN FROM ME!”

Another member of the managerial staff - perhaps an assistant manager or someone close to the title - came out to assist the first one, who was still trying to improve the situation before it escalated far beyond her control to contain. Together, they politely ushered the panicking truck driver outside and away from the gawking guests, who were all predictably rubbernecking. Clearly this was the hugest thing to happen to the small-town diner in decades. 

Before the man was successfully escorted outdoors, however, his final shouted exclamation hung in the air behind him: “— _IT WAS A GHOST! A **SKELETON GHOST**!_ ”

Silence dominated the diner following the outburst. It was eventually broken by the sound of Arthur’s numb fingers dropping his takeout box, sending the pancakes sailing out across the freshly mopped floor.

He was **back**.


	2. Getting It Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully realize that a certain purple skeleton ghost is on a mission to find his gang, but let's pretend that it's a slooow process that gives Vivi and Arthur time to do other things. Also, if you check out the pictures inside the Mystery Van you'll see a cage of sorts sitting on a shelf. I don't doubt that Arthur's hamster, Galahad, occasionally travels with them, but for the sake of this particular fic Arthur leaves the little guy at home.

Arthur couldn’t breathe. He was **drowning**. 

For as much as he inhaled, and as much as he struggled to get oxygen into his malfunctioning lungs, he was no more successful than a suffocating fish out of water. His heart felt like a frantic bird in a too-small cage, breaking its fragile wings against the bars in a desperate attempt to escape; it would be on him in another moment, choking his windpipe, controlling his limbs, and rolling back his eyes until he was trapped, screaming, in the automaton of his own body.

And then a hand touched his face, urging him to pull away from the neon chains of green chaos with a sharp gasp. When his tunnel vision expanded back into full focus, he saw Vivi standing in front of him.

“There you go, Artie,” she was saying softly, _encouragingly_. “Deep breaths, mmkay?”

It occurred to Arthur that they weren’t in the diner anymore, but outside and…and huh, in the van. Well, the back of the van. The doors had been opened and he was perched on the edge like a puppet on a shelf. There was no one else around them save for Mystery, who sat on his haunches a few feet away, as if he were protectively guarding the pair. 

“W-what happened?” Arthur managed to croak out. 

His vocal cords weren’t completely unthawed yet, which made speaking surprisingly difficult. Vivi touched a warm palm to his brow, and he realized with a prickle of shame that he'd broken out into a cold sweat. He wanted to duck away in shame, but he found himself sagging forward instead, pushing Vivi’s fingers into the blond spikes of his hair. 

She scruffed him gently, almost like she would Mystery. “You had a panic attack.” 

“I… N-no, it totally wasn’t—I just—” His tongue tripped, hesitating. Was that really what had happened to him back there? “That was..." His heart rate picked up again as he struggled to sort out the details and separate the truth from what his anxious brain was conjuring. Fortunately, Vivi came to his rescue.

“Hey, don’t even worry about it,” she soothed comfortingly. “Seriously, you’re fine.” She recalled her fingers from his hair and circled her floppy-sleeved arms around him in a cuddly hug. 

Sans hesitation, Arthur leaned forward to rest his forehead against Vivi’s shoulder (she had the advantage of height for once since he was seated). Many people felt claustrophobic when threatened by the weight of an emotional meltdown, but Arthur had always preferred to have something solid against him to hold onto. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, for lack of anything better to say. God, he was lame. 

Vivi shook her head and squeezed Arthur tighter. “Nope. No sorries allowed, Articus.” She then waited a careful beat before she asked: “Are you feeling better now?”

Arthur’s narrow shoulders rose and fell in a wordless shrug. 

“Hmm. Was that a ‘yes, Vivi, I sure am feeling better’-shrug, or a ‘no, Vivi, I still feel pretty crummy’-shrug?” Vivi wondered aloud. “My shrug-a-nese is a little rusty.” 

In spite of how completely lousy he was currently feeling, Arthur couldn’t help but snort in amusement at the uncanny ‘Viviism’ he’d just witnessed. Girl had spunk, man. She’d always had it. And she knew when to wield it to make an awful situation into a way more tolerable one. 

Pulling away from her, Arthur straightened himself out and looked up at his lively friend through exhausted eyes. “I’m a little better.” Sort of. Kind of. _Nnnnot_ really. But at least he wasn’t panicking or blacking out anymore. That was always a good thing in Arthur’s book. “I’ll get us out of here in a minute.” 

“N’awww. You’re so adorable when you think you’re actually going to drive,” Vivi stated, giving Arthur’s cheek a gentle _pap, pap_. “I’ll be the one getting us home, copilot.” 

“What? No, Vivi. Really. I can drive, I just need to—”

“—try and get some sleep,” Vivi interjected, finishing Arthur’s sentence for him. “We’re not too far from town anyhow. It’s no biggie.” 

Realistically, she was all about that ‘skeleton ghost’ the trucker had been raving on about and wouldn’t have minded dedicating what was left of the night (and early morning) to looking into it. Arthur, however, most certainly **wasn’t**. If it was truly the spirit they’d encountered not too long before in that crazy mansion, then she understood why. Who wanted to go after a vengeful spook that had given off blatant ‘anti-Arthur’ vibes? Not Arthur, that's who. 

But _still_ , Vivi thought privately. There was something familiar about that ghost; there was an undeniable intelligence in his glowing magenta eyes (assuming it had been a male), and a gentleness in his actions when he had tried to…when he had tried to give her his… 

Vivi succumbed to a startled ‘ _eep!_ ’ as a metal hand waved in front of her face, successfully ripping her away from her internal contemplations. 

“Now _you’re_ the one spacing out,” Arthur noticed, slightly fretful. Were either of them fit to drive at this point? 

“Pshhh, I wasn't spacing out. I was just thinking about…uhmm…the fact that I haven’t had okonomiyaki in forever!” Vivi quickly supplied. That was totally believable. Right? 

The small frown on Arthur’s lips upturned slightly. Only Vivi would eat a meal and then think of another one not even thirty minutes after. Maybe it was his uneaten pancakes that had inspired her to crave a Japanese pancake? Orrrr maybe she was just jonesin’ for her favorite cultural treat. Either was plausible. 

“But anyway!" Vivi continued swiftly. "Yummy noms aside, let’s get going, yeah? It’s been an insanely long day, and I think the both of us could use a serious recharge.” 

As if on cue, Arthur yawned. A serious recharge sounded heavenly in his present worn state, but he doubted he’d be so lucky as to actually follow through. Not if his insomnia had anything to say about it. Before he clambered through the back of the van to noodle his way over the seats, he decided to offer Vivi some parting words.

“Thanks, Vi. I know I’ve been a real basket case these past few weeks—well, more so than usual. It means a lot that you’re putting up with me.”

Vivi, who hadn’t been expecting the kind and genuine words, felt a rabid swarm of warm-fuzzies invade her chest cavity as she watched Arthur maneuver through the vehicle to slip over into the front seat. How **DARE** he say something so sugary sweet and then flee from her! Curses. She'd have to get him later for sure when he was least expecting it.

Prior to shutting the van doors, she looked over to where Mystery still sat, alert, with his nose tilted into the nightly breeze. “C’mon, boy! We’re heading out.” 

The dog didn’t move at first, but when he did it was a quick trot back to the van, where he jumped up and eventually settled beside Arthur. With both of her passengers secure and settled, she closed the double doors with a satisfying _clunk!_ and then moseyed around to the driver’s side to get them back on the road. 

\- - - 

It didn’t take long for the dusty stretch of highway to turn into well-known streets and residential establishments. Tempo was quiet in the early morning hours with the occasional coyote howling a song that no one ever seemed to appreciate. Among the dark silhouettes of stubby buildings was a reputable repair shop. Vivi pulled around back and parked the van into its usual space before she killed the engine and leaned forward to look through the windshield. 

There weren’t any lights on in the small apartment above the shop - where Arthur and his uncle lived - and the lack of a huge diesel truck meant that Lance himself wasn’t home. Now, Arthur was grown and perfectly capable of being left alone, but… 

Vivi glanced at her skittish companion, who was slumped against the window, dozing. Mystery was lying with his head in Arthur’s lap, though he wasn’t asleep; he looked just as alert and guarding as he had back at the diner. Vivi was loath to wake Arthur now that he was actually resting, but she was even more reluctant to let him catch z’s in a position that would welcome all kinds of uncomfortable and sore kinks in his neck and back the next day. 

It was why she leaned over to gently touch his left shoulder…whiiiiich proved to be a huge mistake. She had barely enclosed her fingers around his sleeve when he suddenly sprung up, scaring the both of them (and Mystery), and gripped his robotic arm protectively. His eyes were wide and wild, and he was breathing shakily, but it didn't appear to be the same consuming panic that had seized him earlier. 

Upon realizing that it was only Vivi - and not a terrifying beast with way too many tails - Arthur gradually relinquished his fear (and grip on his false arm) and tried to relax again. Vivi, whose own heart was a'thumping a little too quickly, attempted to get them both through the worst of their joint fright fest. 

“Sorry for waking you, my dude, but we’re here,” she informed him, gesturing towards the shop with a nod of her head.

Arthur followed her cranial indication and, sure enough, there was Kingsmen Mechanics in all of its painted golden glory. He started to unbuckle himself when an important thought occurred to him. “Do you need me to walk you home?” 

Vivi didn’t live far - nothing was "far" in their small town - but he didn’t like the idea of her walking by herself in the middle of the night (even if Mystery would be by her side the entire way). 

“Nahhh, that’s okay. I was actually just thinking of crashing on your couch until the sun comes up. If that’s cool with you?” Vivi proposed, smiling. 

It wouldn’t have been the first time Vivi had slept over, so it wasn’t so much an awkward thing as it was the fact that Arthur felt as though Vivi needed a break from him. That _and_ she’d probably discourage him from staying up and continuing to work on his “project” instead of sleeping. Talk about being in a pickle. 

“…okay, sure.” 

Ultimately, he decided on letting her stay over. His uncle was away that weekend - something about a ‘business trip’ that just so HAPPENED to coincide with a wrestling tournament a city over - so it was just Arthur and Galahad until the head of the household returned. Having Vivi over might have been a nice distraction. 

At least, enough of a distraction to chase away the maddening silence that encouraged Arthur’s fraying mind to venture to places it shouldn’t have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally a lot longer, but it got to that awkward point where it was better if I split it up in two (which explains the somewhat abrupt ending??). But hey, that means I'll probably update MUCH faster next time around. Wooo! 
> 
> Huge thanks to everyone that's read/commented/bookmarked! You guys are the best. :D


	3. And Losing It Again

Following their arrival, the small group of friends removed themselves from the van and headed on up the iron set of stairs that fed into the second level of the building, where the repair shop ended and the apartment started. Arthur dug out his keys from where he’d wedged them in his pocket and worked on unlocking the front door. As they were granted official entry, he let Vivi and Mystery go on ahead while he cast a final look outside. 

A cool current of ominous wind ruffled his hair and urged a shiver to run down his spine before he firmly shut the door behind him. Yeahhhhhh...thanksbutnothanks,dude.

Even though it wasn’t the biggest or most luxurious of places, the apartment was practical and peppered with individual “homey” accents. There were random parts and gears here and there, along with magazines of cars and detailed diagrams of engines. The living room, much like the kitchen, was a misfit accumulation of mismatched furniture and decor: A lumpy armchair that was sunken in due to a certain top-heavy uncle always sitting in it, a faux leather couch with a good tear or two along the back, a mahogany coffee table that had probably been scored at a sweet garage sale, and Vivi’s personal favorite - a large and threatening sword that was mounted on the wall, just above the entertainment system. 

She sure felt sorry for any burglars that tried breaking into the Kingsmen’s abode. That was for sure. The dirty crooks would very quickly realize their grave mistake (as well as the fact that they came to _the wrong neighborhood, mothertrucker_ ) when Uncle Lance would have trusty ol’ Arondight pointed straight at their sorry mugs. 

Although she planned on camping out in the living room, where Mystery was presently patrolling, Vivi followed Arthur down the hall (mostly because she wanted to make sure that he got in bed and **STAYED** in bed). She stood back, however, as Arthur stopped in front of his bedroom door and did the “thing”. 

A small camera dropped down from the doorway and presented a popular security-related query in a synthetic, computerized voice: “ _Password, please?_ ” 

Arthur, who had been trapped in another sleepy yawn, quickly ended the gesture and replied: “Excalibur.” 

“ _Accepted. Welcome, Sir._ ” 

The door opened by itself, courtesy of Arthur’s own programming prowess, and let the two paranormal investigators inside. Unlike most boys, who thrived by living amongst disorderly heaps of clutter, Arthur’s room was pretty darn clean. Everything was neatly arranged and cataloged, and the messiest thing in there was his desk, which was topped with empty energy drink cans and a small pizza box. 

While the semi-neat freak crossed the room to dispose of the trash, Vivi helped herself to looking around. She didn’t usually come over much anymore, not like she had when Arthur had had his accident - she still felt physically sick at the thought of his arm getting caught and mangled in machinery - but she enjoyed visiting nonetheless. 

She would have happily continued her aimless wanderings had a series of squeaks not caught her attention and brought her over to a tricked out cage, where an adorable hamster was peeking up at her. A teeny white paw poked out between the bars and reached up, either requesting a treat or maybe just a fist bump. _Yo, girl!_

“Hiya, Galaham!” Vivi greeted, surrendering her fingertip and giggling when the furry cutie gently nibbled on the end. “Did you miss me?”

Arthur briefly paused in his tidying to look over and watch the interaction. Galahad was a friendly little guy who was generally glad to see anyone that approached him. Although, now that Arthur thought about it he made a mental note to work on an upgrade for his buddy’s wheels. There was nothing wrong with the present pair he wore, of course, but Arthur liked to keep up in the realm of technological advancements. 

After he finished clearing off his desk, Arthur slipped out of his orange vest and hung it over the curved footboard of his bed. He would have done the same with his pants but, um, _Vivi was totally in his room_ , and as close and comfortable as they were around each other, he couldn’t deny the weirdness he felt getting undressed in front of her. Especially because she had a boyfr—oh. Yeah…about that.

Clearing his throat, which had yet to stop harboring a sore discomfort, he scooped up a pair of drawstring pajama bottoms (complete with Storm Troopers on them) and decided that the hallway bathroom would be a good place to change. “I’ll be right back.” 

“Godspeed!” Vivi proclaimed, saluting Arthur before she returned her attention to her favorite rodent…whoooo was no longer in his cage?? Blinking, she peered around to see where her mini broski had zipped off to; she laughed when she found him down by her feet, the springs of his cage’s latch stuffed in the pouches of his cheeks. “Ohoho _ho_. So you’re an escape artist _and_ a klepto, are’ya? Touché.”

\- - - 

In the bathroom, Arthur worked on changing and cleaning himself up a bit. A look into the mirror confirmed what he already knew to be true: He looked freakin' **awful**. The bags under his eyes had bags of their own at that point, which made him look way older than any twenty-two-year-old ever should have, and there was a slight gauntness to his face that suggested he’d lost some weight over the past few weeks.

He lifted the bottom half of his shirt for confirmation’s sake and saw, much to his displeasure, that his ribs definitely looked more pronounced. Since part of his torso was already exposed, he hiked his shirt up higher until it was nearly off of him, yet situated around his neck. From there he turned around, so that his bared back was facing the mirror, where Arthur checked to see if… _yep_. They were still there alright.

Stretched across the pale and freckled skin of the mechanic’s back were rubbery burn marks - the one physical proof that the ‘skeleton ghost’ was real and wanted Arthur as dead as he was. Vivi had been caught in the powerful surge of spectral flames during their escape from the mansion as well, yet she hadn’t retained any visible blemishes. Only Arthur had, as if the ghost had somehow filtered her out from his epic rage blast. Maybe he had… 

Lowering his shirt back down, Arthur tried to abandon his former line of thought while he turned on the sink and cupped his fleshy hand beneath the water. His metal hand was waterproof and all, but he hadn’t missed the circuity sparks he’d encountered earlier that evening; he’d have to tinker around the next day to see why his prosthetic had been on the fritz. 

As water pooled in the bowl of his palm, he brought it up and splashed it against his face with hopes of refreshing himself. He repeated the action a few times, until his bangs dripped and beads of moisture clung to his eyelashes. He blindly patted around for the washcloth he knew was somewhere on the counter, but when he couldn’t quite find it with his fingers he resorted to straightening from his slouch over the tap and looking around. 

He expected to find the pesky cloth sitting nearby. He did _not_ expect to see the reflection of his skeletal antagonist looming over him in the mirror, his purple eyes aglow and large hands outstretched towards Arthur menacingly.

A frightful scream filled the bathroom, and apartment in general, as Arthur backpedaled from the terrorizing apparition. His knees buckled as they met with the bathtub, and before he could stop himself he was falling and helplessly clutching onto the shower curtain in a last-ditch effort to avoid crashing into the tub. In the end, he took the curtain and its corresponding rod with him as he collided against the hard, unfeeling ceramic.

Vivi was at the bathroom door almost immediately and jiggling the locked doorknob. “Arthur? Arthur, what happened? Are you okay?”

The shaking mess that was sprawled in the tub slowly pulled the curtain off of him and directed his eyes ahead, where a whole lot of **nothing** met his fearful gaze. The sink was still on, Vivi was still talking, but…but the ghost was nowhere to be seen. Probably because he hadn’t been there in the first place. In his delirium Arthur had imagined the entire thing; his brain conjured the unsettlingly realistic scene, which did little to reassure him that he was in a good mental state. 

When would the horrible hallucinations _end_ , he thought helplessly, as he quickly got to his feet and tried maneuvering the curtain rod back into place. “I’m fine! I just lost my balance and fell. It’s no bigg _hhie_ —…” 

His voice cracked towards the end of the poorly executed explanation, implying that his physical troubles had rapidly become emotional ones. Before he could stop it from happening, let alone do anything to prevent it, his sclerae flooded with a screen of hot tears. 

“Are you sure?” Vivi asked, her tone concerned. The doorknob jiggled again. "We can talk abou—" 

“N-no!” Arthur bit back the pathetic whine that tried to force its way through his faltering words. His legs suddenly felt weaker than they had in days and slowly lowered him onto the cold tiles of the floor. “It's cool. I-I’ll be out in a minute.” 

A part of him hoped and desperately prayed that Vivi had walked out of earshot, because Arthur couldn’t have stopped the hiccuping whimpers that erupted from him if he tried. He clamped a muffling hand over his mouth as the sobs mercilessly seized him, urging him to curl towards his knees as weeks of pent up anxiety, guilt, and sleeplessness finally arose to claim him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This poor guy needs some sleep. :( And a hug. And probably some therapy. The next update will be happier for sure!


	4. Forgetting About It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I ever mentioned how horrible I am at updating? Hopefully there’s still some interest in this fic, even if the updates DO take 5ever. :'D

Arthur didn’t know how long he sat on the bathroom floor, crying his eyes out, but by the time he’d forced himself to stand up again and change into his pajamas, he felt no stronger than a brittle leaf in a violent windstorm. At that point, productive sobs became nothing more than whimpering little hiccups that jumped around in his chest every other minute or so. 

He visited the sink - partially to wash his face for a second time, partially to shut off the tap when he was done - and then dared a glance in the mirror. If he hadn’t looked horrible before, then he definitely did now. His eyes were swollen and glassy, which would instantly point out the obvious (and that was on the off chance that Vivi _hadn’t_ overheard his embarrassing little breakdown). 

Chances were, though, that he was about to spend the next half hour trying to convince his friend that he was okay, and that he’d just had a particularly overwhelming anxiety attack. **Again**. 

Arthur took a deep, albeit shaky breath and steeled himself as much as he possibly could. Right. Here went nothing. LITERALLY nothing. 

He opened the door and was surprised to see that Vivi wasn’t standing on the other side. The hallway was empty, which made it easy for Arthur to turn off the bathroom light and slip out quietly. 

Returning to his bedroom right away didn’t seem like something he wanted to do, so he ventured to the kitchen instead. He wasn’t hungry or thirsty - the idea of ingesting any kind of substance, be it solids or liquids, was absolutely _nauseating_ \- but he knew that Vivi liked to have tea before bed. Plus, it gave his hands something to do while his brain was short-circuiting.

He was in the process of selecting a mug from he and his uncle’s mismatched and chipped collection when he heard a familiar voice speak from behind him. 

“Hey.” 

Arthur swallowed. He severely doubted that the swelling around his orbital sockets had gone down, or that the whites of his eyes weren’t completely bloodshot; it gave an ashamed guy plenty of reason not to want to turn around. So he kept digging around the cabinet, as if he were intent on finding the perfect mug and totally not buying himself some cowardly time.

“Hey,” he eventually echoed, though the word was hoarse and indicative of the emotional turmoil Arthur was desperately trying (and failing) to keep on the down low. “Sorry I took so long in there. It’s always a pain putting that shower curtain rod back into place when it falls out.” 

Vivi didn’t say anything after that, which relieved Arthur as much as it worried him. She wasn’t calling him out on his bluff, but she also wasn’t acknowledging it at all…? 

The mechanic had just curled his fingers around the smooth ceramic of a mug’s handle when he felt two arms encircle his waist. Arthur froze, his breath catching, as Vivi hugged him from behind and pressed her forehead into his back. It wasn’t entirely unexpected, because she’d hugged him earlier as well, but it still brought back the lump in Arthur’s throat. 

“V-Vivi…” 

“You don’t have to talk about it,” she said softly, speaking into his t-shirt. “Whatever’s bothering you, whatever’s driving you crazy, you don’t have to talk about it until you’re ready, okay?” She gave his lanky waist a reassuring squeeze. “You’re my bro-tato chip, and I’m here for you.” 

Arthur’s eyes welled up as they had in the bathroom, but this time it wasn’t so much from despair as it was from the reality of having a true and epic friend in his pathetic life. He huffed out a breathy laugh. “Your Bro-ba Fett?”

“My Bro-seideon, god of the bro-cean.” 

Abandoning his grip on the mug and turning away from the cabinet, he swiveled in Vivi’s arms so as to face her correctly. From there, he took it upon himself to hug the bluenette close against his torso. He typically wasn’t the type to initiate embraces, if only because he was awkward and wasn’t sure how long to hug someone or when to pull away.

Vivi didn’t hesitate to hug Arthur right on back - poor dude really needed one after his yucky night - and after a few seconds of some good ol’ fashion snuggling, she tugged back to grin up at him. 

“You know what always makes everything better?” she asked.

Arthur paled. “I’ll be honest, Vi, I’m not really feeling up to any foo—”

“Okay, okay. Fair enough. Let me rephrase that. You know what always makes everything better that _isn’t_ food?” She paused, hoping he'd take a wild guess, but when he merely shrugged a shoulder she eagerly continued: “Dancing!”

Freeing herself, Vivi fled back into Arthur’s room and returned with her phone; the colorful charms and tiny bells that were attached to the cellular device jingled as she enthusiastically searched through her music library. 

Arthur wasn’t…well, it wasn’t that he didn’t _like_ music or dancing? Both came with a fun array of perks and good times. It just didn’t feel like the right time to bust a sick move, given how exhausted and ready to fall over he was. Vivi, on the other hand, seemed perfectly ready to cut a rug. 

“I added a bunch of new music while I had some downtime at work the other day,” the bubbly female admitted. “Duet actually recommended a few.”

Arthur had never really understood Vivi’s mysterious Tome Tomb boss, but apparently they had a great taste in music? Who knew. “Any good ones?”

“A whole _lotta_ good ones,” Vivi stated, prior to selecting her favorite of the recently downloaded songs. “Here we go!”

For a brief second Arthur expected to hear some kind of upbeat anime intro, or like, some crazy techno remix of a video game soundtrack. But when the quiet and almost soothing intro kicked off, followed by an equally soothing singing voice, he was forced to look at Vivi in genuine surprise.

“What?” she asked, setting down her phone on the counter with a giggle. “I can listen to chill music, too, y'know.” Her hands extended to Arthur now while her hips began a lazy sway from side to side. “You know you wannaaaaa.”

Arthur was far too tired and delirious to even **think** of slinking away, so instead of giving Vivi a grocery list of reasons why he probably should have gone to bed, he simply took her hands and gave her the metaphorical reins. 

Thrilled by his willing compliance, Vivi began to move with Arthur. The kitchen wasn’t exactly a stage or certified dance area, but it was big enough for them to slowly move around together to the beat of the song. She added a few silly little turns in - ones that made Arthur smile through the ridiculousness of it all - but for the most part, the dance was relaxing and everything they needed after a tense night. 

By the end of the song, they were barely doing anything but going around in a small, unhurried circle. Vivi had her arms around Arthur’s neck - a la ‘middle school dance’ style - and Arthur had his arms around her sides. They didn't notice that the song was officially finished until another [significantly less calm] one came on. 

Like before during their hug, Vivi was the first to pull away; she glanced up at Arthur, smiling. “I guess we’d better hit the hay, huh?” 

Arthur, who could have easily passed out on his feet by then, nodded. “Yeah. You can take my bed if you want.”

“Whaaaaat? And miss my sweet opportunity to go couch digging? As if! Last time I found a pack of gum and a monkey wrench,” Vivi replied. 

She had separated from Arthur, shut off the music on her phone, and headed back to his room with him. Rather than say her goodnights and join Mystery in the living room, however, she stayed with Arthur until she confirmed that he was tucked up in his bed, like he **should** have been. He didn’t fall asleep right away - as she’d already anticipated - so she remained with him, talking about a new manga Chloe had suggested, until his eyes closed and his breathing evened out. 

Vivi didn’t realize how cozy she was on the foot of Arthur’s bed until it was too late: She laid back along the soft mattress and comforter, stretched across Arthur’s feet, where she ultimately drifted off. 

The two paranormal investigators were completely oblivious to the shadowed figure of a dog in the doorway as he checked to make sure that his friends were safe. From there, Mystery didn’t hesitate to return to the living room, where he quickly made use of a window; it opened by itself, showcasing a mystical power that no ordinary dog should have ever possessed. 

But then again, the large and decidedly more **vulpine** creature that leapt out into the night wasn’t exactly _ordinary_ , was he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had their super cute dance scene in Part 1 of The Deathly Hallows? That was definitely my inspiration for this chapter. Sometimes all you need is to dance with your best friend~ For anyone who's curious, the song they were dancing to is called “Gooey” by Glass Animals. A L S O, where the heck is kitsune!Mystery off to?! O: I guess we’ll have to wait and seeeee.


End file.
